Drawer trim structure

ABSTRACT

A DRAWER TRIM STRUCTURE WHICH INCLUDES A BASE PLATE ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE EDGE OF A DRAWER FRONT, AN INNER HOLDING LIP ADAPTED TO ENGAGE WITHIN A GROOVE IN SUCH EDGE, AN OUTER HOLDING LIP ADAPTED TO OVERLIE THE FRONT SURFACE OF SUCH A DRAWER FRONT, AND ABUTTING MEANS FOR EXTENDING FROM THE DRAWER FRONT AND OVERLYING THE STRUCTURE AROUND THE DRAWER FRONT. THESE LIPS AND ABUTTING EDGE ARE ALL SUPPORTED ON THE BASE PLATE. MEANS ARE PROVIDED WITHIN THE ABUTTING MEANS FOR ENGAGING CORNER MEMBERS SO THAT MITERED CORNERS OF THE TRIM STRUCTURE MAY BE SECURED TOGETHER IN A FRAME-LIKE MANNER UPON A DRAWER FRONT.

Jang-12,1971 y l D.. EMQCK 3,554,627

v DRAWER TRIM STRUCTURE Y Filed July 22, 1969 20 Eon/,42o D. @BQ/AN 52 24 .34 y y ,47m/@wey United States Patent Office Patented Jan. 12, 1971 3,554,627 DRAWER TRIM STRUCTURE Donald E. Mock, Covina, Calif., assignor to Anjac Plastics, Inc., El Monte, Calif., a corporation of California Filed July 22, 1969, Ser. No. 843,474 Int. Cl. A47b 88/00 U.S. Cl. 312--330 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A drawer trim structure which includes a base plate adapted to overlie the edge of a drawer front, an inner holding lip adapted to engage within a groove in such edge, an outer holding lip adapted to overlie the front surface of such a drawer front, and abutting means for extending from the drawer front and overlying the structure around the drawer front. These lips and abutting edge are all supported on the basel plate. Means are provided within the abutting means for engaging corner members so that mitered corners of the trim structure may be secured together in a frame-like manner upon a drawer front.

Drawers have commonly been constructed so that their front panels extend beyond the physical confines of their interior. Drawers have been constructed in this manner so as to provide an overlap or overhang which will conceal the area between a drawer and the structure within which the drawer is mounted. Such an extending area on a drawer must be sufficiently thick and rigid so that there iS no danger of it becoming damaged during use.

For many years drawer fronts have commonly been manufactured out of wood. Because of the nature of this material it has been possible to create drawers having what may be regarded as a tapered or feathered overhang between the central region of a drawer front panel and the extreme edges of such a panel. With a construction such as this it has been possible to utilize the same wood finishing techniques on all portions of a drawer front panel in order to provide a satisfactorily appearing structure.

Cost and related considerations have made it desirable to manufacture the drawers for use in various applications such as trailers, mobile homes and the like out of other materials than customarily are used. Frequently it is desired to utilize as a drawer front panel composite structures in which an inexpensive soft wood base or a base of pressed `wood particles is laminated to a pre-iinished front surface member such as a plastic sheet. When the front panels of drawers are formed out of these newer type of materials and/or laminates certain significant problems have been encountered,

One of these problems is provi-ding a surface finish on the overhang area surrounding a door front panel which is attractive. This problem is considered to be particularly significant since the edges of laminates and similar structures cannot be tapered and/ or finished in the same manner as prior wood drawer front panels. Another problem .which has been encountered is the problem of providing adequate edge protection for a door front panel in order to prevent delamination or the like. While these problems have not precluded the manufacture of drawers and in praticular drawer fronts out of composite or laminated structures as indicated, they nevertheless have tended to make drawer fronts manufactured out of such materials comparatively undesirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An objective of the present invention is to provide new and improved drawer trim structures for use with drawer front panels. More specifically it is an objective of the present invention to provide drawer trim structures for this purpose which can be satisfactorily utilized with cornposite, laminated type panels such as panels employing a comparatively soft wood base or a base of pressed wood particles laminated to a pre-finish front surface member such as a plastic sheet. Further objectives of this invention are to provide door trim structures of the type described which may be easily and conveniently manufactured at a comparatively nominal cost, which may be easily assembled at a comparatively nominal cost upon a drawer front panel, and which are capable of providing prolonged, effective utilization while maintaining a desirable appearance.

In accordance with this invention these and various other objectives of the invention are achieved by providing a drawer trim structure having the form of continuous extrusion. Such an extrusion includes a base plate adapted to lie against a side edge of a drawer front panel, an inner holding lip attached to the base plate adapted to engage a groove within such an edge and an outer holding lip attached such a base so as to overly and resiliently bear against the surface of the drawer front panel. A trim structure of this invention also includes a hollow abutting structure extending from the base plate. This abutting structure carries internal holding walls which are capable of effectively holding a corner fastening member with respect to the base plate.

A structure of this type is used by cutting the structure so as to create what may be referred to as mitered, terminal cuts. When four pieces corresponding to the sides of a rectangle have been cut in this manner they may be conveniently secured together in a frame like configuration by forcing a corner fastening member in place where the ends of the cut pieces come together. This may be conveniently accomplished in a final location at or on a drawer front panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention is best more fully described with.ref erence to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a drawer employing a drawer trip struct-ure of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional View taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a corner fastening member used with the drawer trim structure shown.

The drawing is intended to clearly illustrate a presently preferred embodiment or form of a drawer trim structure of this invention for explanatory purposes. It will be realized that various changes may kbe made lin the precise structure illustrated through the use of application of routine engineering skill or ability.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawing there is shown a drawer 10` having a drawer front panel 12 and attached sides 14, a bottom 16. These sides 14 and bottom 16 carry a drawer back 18. The particular panel 12 illustrated has a base 20 formed out of comparatively soft wood, particle board or the like which is laminated in accordance with conventional practice to a sheet 22 of a plastic material. Normally this sheet 22 will be of such a character as to present a decorative appearance and will be resistant to marring. The panel 12 has side edges 24. Each of these side edges 24 is provided with a groove 26 spaced from and parallel to the sheet 22 and the normally exposed surface of the panel 12.

In accordance with this invention the panel 12 is surrounded by four different lengths of a drawer trim structure 28 of this invention. Each of these lengths as shown has mitered corners 30. The structure 28 has, as shown in FIG. 2, a base plate 32 which is adapted to overlie and fit against an edge 24. A first side of this base plate 32 carries an inner lip 34 which ts within the groove 26 illustrated and carries an outer holding lip 36 which overlies and resiliently bears against the sheet 22.

From this, it will be seen that the inner holding lip 34 extends from the base plate 32 at a right angle. In a normal position prior to use, the outer holding lip 36 also extends in this manner. However, the outer holding lip 36 is curved slightly prior to use in a direction towards the rear edge 38 of the base plate 32 so that it will resiliently bear against the sheet 22 in use.

This outer lip 36 extends from the front edge 40 of the base plate 32 so that in use it appears essentially as a continuation or extension of a trim wall 42 forming a part of a hollow abutting structure 44 extending from the second side of the ibase plate 32. This abutting structure also includes an abutting wall 46 extending from the rear edge 38 substantially perpendicular to the base plate 32. The abutting wall 46 is curved away from the rear edge 38 adjacent to its extremity so as to terminate in a curved lip 48. The extremity of this lip 48 is attached to and integral with a curved extremity 50 of the trim wall 42. It will be noted that this trim wall 42 is curved so as to present a tapered type of appearance to the abutting structure 44.

Within the hollow, abutting structure 44 there are located two parallel holding walls 52. One of these walls extends from the trim wall 42 and the other of these walls 52 extends from the abutting wall 46. These walls 52 are equally spaced from the base plate 32 and they are directed towards one another. The walls 52 are designed to be utilized with corner fastening members such as the member 54 illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawing.

This member 54 has at legs 56 located at right angles to one another dimensioned so as to fit closely in the space between the base plate 32, the trim and abutting walls 42 and 46, respectively, and the holding walls 52. These legs 56 hold extensions 58- which will fit tightly between the holding walls 52 when the fastening members 56 are used. Each of the legs 56 is preferably provided with a bottom ratchet tooth 60 which will bite into a base plate 32 so as to prevent disassembly of a trim structure 28 once a drawer front has been completely assembled as herein indicated.

From a careful consideration of the preceding it will be realized that a drawer trim structure las herein described may be easily created by known extrusion techniques out of known thermoplastic materials. When so created such a trim structure may be easily cut to desired lengths for use and these lengths may be conveniently assembled at a drawer front by being pushed together and pushed into place so as to provide a neat appearing structure. Such a structure once created is capable of being satisfactorily used and is capable of providing adequate protection for the side edges of a drawer front.

I claim:

1. A drawer trim structure which comprises:

a base plate having a rst and a second side and front and rear edges,

an outer holding lip extending from said rst side of said plate away from said front edge of said plate, said holding lip extending at a substantially right angle from said base plate and curving in the direction of the rear edge of said base plate,

an inner holding lip extending from said first side of said base plate at a substantially right angle to said base plate, said inner holding lip being spaced from and located parallel to said outer holding lip,

a hollow abutting structure extending from said second side of said base plate, said abutting structure comprising an abutting wall and a trim wall;

said abutting wall extending from said second side of said base plate away from said front edge of said plate;

said trim wall extending from said second side of said base plate at the rear edge thereof,

said abutting wall extending substantially perpendicular to said base plate adjacent to said base plate and being curved from the rear edge of said base plate adjacent to its extremity remote from said base plate,

said trim wall appearing as an extension of said outer holding lip and being curved so as to join with the extremity of said abutting wall remote from said base plate;

holding walls located opposite one another on said abutting and said trim walls adjacent to and spaced from said base plate;

said holding walls being capable of positioning a corner fastening member with respect to said ibase plate so as to hold mitered corners on two of said trim structures at a right angle with respect to one another;

said base plate being capable of being located against the edge of a drawer front panel with said inner holding lip adapted to engage a groove in an edge of such a panel and with said outer holding lip adapted to engage a front surface of the panel so that said abutting structure is adapted to extend from an edge of such a drawer front panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,316,460 4/1967 Scoville 220--4 3,416,850 12/1968 Hilnger et al 312-330 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner 

